TGtv Episode 2 - Making the Ask

Okee dokee. Here's ONE THING I know about you: You don't like to ask for anything.
You're the giver, right? Never the taker. And asking is so, well, gauche. Annnnnnnnd you know you need to start asking: for the business, for the support, for the meeting, for the chance, for the advice.

I've got you.

TGtv-Episode-2

I'm not entirely sure why we do this, but we want to have it be a lot harder than it needs to be. We imagine the ridicule, we dress rehearse for disaster, and have the escape route mapped even before we know what we want. So we don't ask, and we don't get and we don't move forward. Rock solid, yes?

Making asks is actually really quite simple.

It starts, as ever, with clarity and preparation.

To recap:

In preparation for the ask, make sure you know:

Who: Who has what you need? Are they accessible to you? Are they amenable to you? And if you're not sure if they're amenable to you, do you reckon they'd be amenable to your REQUEST?

What: What's the scop of the request? Is it reasonable? What's the benefit to them?

Why: Why are you making this ask?

When: When do you need the request by? Make sure it's reasonable and PUH-LEEZE have the drop dead date actually matter. (I once - ONCE - sweated, moved mountains, paid for childcare and lost sleep over a deadline only to discover that my submission wasn't even glanced at until a month after delivery. Serious yuck.)

In making the ask, be sure it's:

reasonable

specific

brief

respectful

and that YOU are confident - if there is any wishy-washyness, you may need to revisit the who, what, when or why and retool.

And in the unlikely chance that they take a pass, please know that it likely has everything to do with what's going on for them and their schedule and precious little to do with their feelings or attitude towards you.

SAY THANK YOU!!!! YIKES. For someone with such a massive value of gratitude, it seems SHOCKING that I’d leave out saying THANK YOU in the video. Don't YOU leave it out though, please! Find the most appropriate way to thank the person for their time, energy and resources (though don’t be afraid to be extravagant).

So? What did you think?

1) Please share in the comments an experience you’ve had with asking or being asked. What works, what doesn't. We can learn from both.

3) I’d also love to hear any issues you’re facing in your business and life that you’d like me to address in an upcoming episode. I solemnly pinky swear to do my best to get to your ideas. Let me know in the comments, on Facebook or via email.

3) And finally, if you received value from this episode, will you share it with your peeps? I would be most grateful.

@TanyaGeisler shares what she knows about making solid requests. (Tweet this)

Making respectful requests with good outcomes starts with clarity and preparation. (Tweet this)

Asking made easy, even for those of us who are fiercely independent. (Tweet this)

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PS - inundated with asks? Come back for the next episode of TGtv...I'll be talking about what to take on and what to graciously decline. Better yet, sign up (and you'll get The Joy Pages!!) and you'll KNOW when the next TGtv comes out.